# open bottles?



## LAMF (Jun 26, 2007)

Is there a time length that bottles of alcohol can be left open without affecting the liqour inside?


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

More specific question would be welcome.


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## Linder (Nov 8, 2006)

For example, wine goes bad long before whiskey.


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## hockeydad (Feb 27, 2007)

Do the bottles have lids on still or are they lost and recycled? Anything cream based would go bad pretty quickly.


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## ky toker (Jun 2, 2005)

Without a cap, the bottle may be tipped to its side drastically decreasing the amount of liquid within the bottle.:al


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## LAMF (Jun 26, 2007)

the cap's are still all on. whisky, rum, gin, vodka, stuff like that, no creamy liquors or wine.


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## rumballs (Mar 15, 2005)

If they're pretty full, years/decades.
If they're close to empty, some people worry about evaporation. I don't have enough experience to guess whether that is a real concern or just an obsessive one.


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## denverdog (Dec 10, 2007)

I was once told that they (whiskey, vodka, rum, etc) can be preserved for a year or longer as long as the bottle is fairly full. Once you are down to the last quarter or third you should just finish it to avoid oxidation.


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## Mark C (Sep 19, 2007)

Found some interesting info here: 
http://www.maltmaniacs.org/malt-104.html#2007-49

Here's another:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/452842

I've heard what I consider 'extreme liquor freaks' say that an opened bottle of rum is goes downhill after a few months on the shelf. Personally I don't buy it. Maybe I'm just fortunate enough not to notice, if so, hooray for me. I've got a rather extensive rum collection, every bottle is open, most are half-empty, but many are difficult or impossible to get where I live so I have a hard time emptying those bottles. A few have been on the shelf for ~2-3 yrs and still taste great. However I have never done a side-by-side taste test with a brand new bottle and a 2-yr old opened bottle. On the other hand, I DO have a few bottles I swore tasted like crap the first time I opened them, then improved a good bit when I went back a few months later. At the time I attributed that to a temperature change, but I suppose it may have been subtle oxidation.

In summary, I say no, you can safely leave your opened bottles on the shelf for several years.


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## hockeydad (Feb 27, 2007)

ky toker said:


> Without a cap, the bottle may be tipped to its side drastically decreasing the amount of liquid within the bottle.:al


Good point. Typically, I tend to empty bottles when the lids are off. With lids on they stay full.:r


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## JacksonCognac (Nov 12, 2007)

My little bar has a half dozen bottles open in various stages of fullness... so far I've noticed no ill effects but for some reason I figured they would last a little longer then a year. 

Looks like I got some drinkin' to do.


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## ky toker (Jun 2, 2005)

A rep from Buffalo Trace said that as long as its 1/2-3/4 full it will keep indefinitely. And once you get under 1/2-1/3 invite a friend over to pollish it off. Apparently oxidation can occur resulting in a change/loss of taste, but safe to drink. I expect that to hold true for all high proof liquids.


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

nitrogen spray many say helps slow oxidation. might be worth it on expensive bottles that are not being constantly drank out of. The would mean bottles that have a 1+ year life cycle...

wine and port, I like to decant into smaller bottle with no air once the cork is inserted, the refridgerate.


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## MadAl (Feb 19, 2006)

A friend brought a pretty old bottle of single malt on a fishing trip, tasted fine, but the alcohol had completely evaporated


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## LAMF (Jun 26, 2007)

Thanks guys, now I think I'll overindulge and crack the bottle of Bulleit I got on my last trip to the US.


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## JacksonCognac (Nov 12, 2007)

LAMF said:


> Thanks guys, now I think I'll overindulge and crack the bottle of Bulleit I got on my last trip to the US.


indeed. I'm already imagining the ways I will "overindulge" :al when I get back to my bar... some of those bottles are dangerously low!


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## Papichulo (Jan 21, 2007)

mosesbotbol said:


> nitrogen spray many say helps slow oxidation. might be worth it on expensive bottles that are not being constantly drank out of. The would mean bottles that have a 1+ year life cycle...
> 
> wine and port, I like to decant into smaller bottle with no air once the cork is inserted, the refridgerate.


I used to manage a the wine and spirits portion of an upscale jazz and supper club. We used gas all our opened ports and wines. It works like a charm and is worth it when perserving $100-$300 bottles of joy.


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## adsantos13 (Oct 10, 2006)

I have bottles that have been open for well over a year, and I don't notice any big difference. Maybe this is a testament to my unrefined palette, dunno. 

That being said, if I have something rare and it gets down towards the end, I re-bottle into smaller glass bottles just in case. 

Funny enough, I find that the first couple drinks out of a newly opened bottle of scotch don't taste as good as the drinks poured after it has been opened for several weeks.


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## punch (Mar 5, 2005)

adsantos13 said:


> I have bottles that have been open for well over a year, and I don't notice any big difference. Maybe this is a testament to my unrefined palette, dunno.
> 
> That being said, if I have something rare and it gets down towards the end, I re-bottle into smaller glass bottles just in case.
> 
> Funny enough, I find that the first couple drinks out of a newly opened bottle of scotch don't taste as good as the drinks poured after it has been opened for several weeks.


My experiences exactly.


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## paperairplane (Nov 8, 2007)

If it takes you more than a year to drink a fifth of liquor - quit drinking and find a new vice or get some friends.

Without a real cuvinet - the nitrogen charging system mentioned above - there is no way to store open wine or port. Even with a cuvinet, you can only store wine about 2 weeks. Whites drop off sooner.

Who has leftover wine anyway? a 750 only holds 4-5 glasses...

I keep a liter of whisky on my counter in a decanter - I cannot state if it degrades after being open and decanted for more than 3 weeks... it has never come up.


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